Vidarbha outplay Kerala in final to secure their third Ranji Trophy title

Kerala were left to rue pivotal moments that ultimately shifted the course of the match. If skipper Sachin Baby had not attempted a slog sweep on 98 with the innings lead within reach on Day 3, the outcome could have been vastly different. Additionally, the missed opportunity of dropping Karun Nair early on Day 4, when the hosts had already lost two quick wickets in the second innings, proved to be detrimental to Kerala's chances. Vidarbha capitalized on these crucial moments, securing their third title after the final concluded in a draw at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. With consecutive wins in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, as well as a runner-up finish last season, Vidarbha solidified their reputation as a dominant force in domestic cricket.

The team under the captaincy of ‘keeper Akshay Wadkar and head coach Usman Ghani produced dominant performances throughout this Ranji edition, which was, for the first time in its 90-year history, split into two halves. Vidarbha emerged the best team across the four Elite groups with six wins in seven matches, giving them 40 points. They carried that form into the knockouts.

Unlike Kerala, who also rode their luck in the knockouts when they pipped Jammu and Kashmir (quarter-final) and Gujarat (semi-final) by the barest of margins and progressed on the basis of first-innings leads, Vidarbha grabbed outright wins – beating Tamil Nadu, last year’s semifinalists, by 198 runs in the quarters and defending champions Mumbai by 80 runs in the semis. Overall, Vidarbha won nine of their 10 matches this season, underlining their dominance in India’s premier domestic competition.

On Sunday, Vidarbha carried out their plan — batting out Kerala — and reached 375/9 with the knocks of Karun Nair (135 - 295 b, 10x4, 2x6) and Danish Malewar (73) followed by pacer Darshan Nalkande’s 51 not out at No.9. Vidarbha resumed on the final day with the contest completely in their control, having an overnight lead of 286 runs.

Though Nair could only add three more runs to his overnight tally, stumped off left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate (a key member of Vidarbha’s first two Ranji titles), Vidarbha batted till close to the tea break to take their overall lead to 412 runs before shaking hands once Nalkande completed his fifty.

The triumph was achieved on the back of all-round performances, which had two of Vidarbha’s youngest players taking charge.

Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, 22, bettered the record for most wickets in a Ranji Trophy season with 69 dismissals, going past the 68-wicket mark of Bihar’s Ashutosh Aman. He was named Player-of-the-Tournament. “It’s a dream come true… In the off-season, I worked on my fitness and skills. This is a result of all that,” Dubey told the broadcaster.

Dubey also implemented the batting tips given by R Ashwin, scoring 476 runs with five fifties, showing promise of another spin-bowling all-rounder in the making for India. The youngster put it in perspective: “I wouldn’t call myself a bowling allrounder; rather, I am a batting allrounder. I love batting.”

The 24-year-old Yash Rathod, the bespectacled left-handed batter, amassed 960 runs at 53.33 with five centuries and three fifties to finish the highest run-getter for the season.

Nair, who joined Vidarbha only ahead of this season, not just led their charge in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with five hundreds but finished as the fourth-highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy, making 863 runs in nine matches at 53.93 with four hundreds and two fifties. In the final, he made 86 and 135. The 21-year-old Malewar, who struck 153 and 73 in the final, finished fifth overall with 783 runs at 52.20 with two hundreds and six fifties.

Nair and Malewar were the batting lynchpins for Vidarbha in the final, forging partnerships of 215 and 183 runs to steer the team out of trouble twice. Skipper Akshay Wadkar – he goes into retirement – was not far behind, aggregating 722 runs at 45.12 with two hundreds and fifties each.

Wadkar said: “Everyone worked hard throughout, and we’re all very happy. Last year, we lost the final. So, we prepared during the monsoon itself. Every individual worked on himself.”

Brief scores: Vidarbha 379 and 375/9 (D Malewar 73, K Nair 135, D Nalkande 51*, A Sarwate 4/96); Kerala 342. Match drawn.

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